Penny Drop
by kaze karter
Summary: Loony Lovegood and her silly games, who knew they could be so useful. Slight HarryGinny, HarryLuna. Oneshot.


Disclaimer- don't own anything.

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One-shot.

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"_You killed me Harry," the voice echoed hollow and booming in Harry's skull, he looked at its owner, the youngest Weasley looked horrified all the blame in her lifeless eyes directed at him._

"_No I didn't!" his own voice pleaded._

"_You failed us Harry." Another voice joined those previous, he whipped around, there stood Sirius, eyes sunken and shallow looking just as they had the first time Harry met him._

"_I didn't mean to!" Harry shouted desperately, his voice fell on deaf ears and another figure appeared from out of the mist, "Chosen one!" it scoffed, "I could have been the chosen one, I could have saved them, I wouldn't have failed like you Harry but no! You killed me." Cedric Diggorys handsome face was twisted into a look of pure hatred._

_Harry shrunk back as more figures appeared in front of him, closing in, their faces identical to Cedrics-- Ron, Hermione, Lupin, Tonks, even Neville and Luna their normally kind faces contorted and hollow. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I wasn't good enough I'm sorry." Harry whispered repeatedly._

_Ginny came to the forefront once again, "You couldn't stop Voldemort , your no hero, everyone was counting on you to succeed, instead look…" she trailed off pointing a finger into the fog which quickly evaporated to reveal Little Whinging black and burned out, the swings In the park swaying ominously._

Harry woke with a start, moving so violently he almost toppled from his bed, the vision vanishing in an instant the dark of his dorm replacing it, all was silent except for Harrys sharp breathing and the soft echo of Rons snores in the dark, Harry strained his eyes in the black spying his best friend laying twisted in his scarlet and gold covers, a trail of saliva hanging from his half open mouth, his eyes adjusted and Harry found Dean, Neville and Seamus asleep comfortably in their beds.

He sighed, but was relieved to not a feel the familiar stinging sensation in his scar, looks like it was one of those normal dreams. Yeah right…like he ever had normal dreams.

--

Tip-toeing skillfully out of his dorm and down the staircase he paused halfway down listening for signs of his fellow students lazing about the common room but when no sound met his strained ears aside from a slight crackle of the dieing fire he continued his trek downwards his toes curling uncomfortably from the cold.

He quickly navigated his way through the chairs and desks, noting oddly a number of bright colored sweet rappers littering the carpet; he stepped his way over to his favorite armchair in front of the dieing embers and froze his hand on the top of the leather comforter. Soft breathing which he hadn't heard was coming from the mouth of Ginny Weasley, whose head was tilted on a odd angle sure to give her a neck ache when she roused tomorrow morning, she was still in he day robes and Arnold the pygmy puff was safely positioned in her lap and at second glance Harry noted the miniature puffskein to be snoring quietly, every breath out making his carrot like nose twitch.

Harry quickly back-peddled hoping to escape back to his dorm before he woke her up but his plan was proved foiled when a soft voice sounded to his retreating back, damn…sprung.

"What are you doing up Harry?" Ginny asked, making him turn back to face her and her concerned gaze, the drowsiness of sleep evaporating from her eyes fast.

Stumbling for an answer that would get him out of an interrogation, he stuttered, "What are you?" Even while his brain caught up with his mouth and he instantly regretted it.

Ginny raised an eyebrow, "I was sleeping until a few moments ago," she answered and then eyeing him with a very mrs-weaslish look continued, "Was it another nightmare?"

Harrys face heated up, he hated how everyone and their neighbors seemed to know about his problems, they were his, why couldn't everyone else just butt out. The nasty thought faded from his mind as Ginny stood from her chair, carefully placing Arnold back on the seat with only a slight gibberish mumble from the adorable pet, and made he way over to him, her tired features littered with concern, "You can tell me if you want, its up to you I won't pry." She said softly, stopping short of him.

Harry felt relieved and managed a small smile, truly grateful for her, "Thanks Gin" he said sincerlly, "I 'preciate it but I think I'll just go for a walk." The very simple idea came as great comfort to Harry who ever since last week had felt a knot begin to form in his intestines, worry it was called with the middle name self-doubt.

Ginny nodded gently, "Do you want me to wait up?" she asked.

Harry smiled at her again, "No don't you have classes tomorrow and its nothing,"

She looked skeptical and Harry continued, "Really, it's just a dream--who doesn't have them." Before Ginny could cut him off about his dreams being incredibly different from everyone else he walked past her to the portrait hole and stepped out, the indignant fat lady giving a yelp of sleepy surprise as her frame was abruptly swung forward.

Harry let his feet guide him as his mind drifted back to his dream and its source--the prophecy. He sighed heavily his glasses slipping down his nose only for him to push them back up, ever since the ordeal in the department of mysteries he couldn't stop the little itch in the back of his minds that whispered he wasn't good enough, he couldn't be the chosen one, he couldn't…he just couldn't.

"Hello Harry," the mildly surprised soft voice caught him off guard and he came to a halt only to look up and find Luna Lovegood in front of him, head and upper torso looking out over the banister, blonde head turned to face him.

"Err…high Luna," he replied, after a moments pause watching as she turned away from him and still leaning out over the banister muttered something with a flick of her wand, in the dark Harry saw something flash as the moonlight streaming into the gloomy hallways hit it before the small object which had appeared from below where Luna was standing was scooped into her out stretched hand.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked curiously, his worries slipping to the back of his mind.

She turned her head and smiled and him vaguely, "Penny dropping," she said simply as if it was the most casual thing in the world.

When Harry did nothing but look confused she smiled amusedly and held out her closed fist to hand him something, Harry took the small metal object and was slightly surprised to find a small cool bronzed coin about the size of a button sitting in the middle of his palm.

Harry looked at it bemused and before he could even ask for an explanation Luna gave him one, "It's a game, you drop one penny and leave it in its spot and then take a second penny and try to get it to land on top of the first penny." She said quite interested as if was completely new to her.

Harry rolled the small coin in his hand and before he even registered that he was speaking the words were out of his mouth, "Can I have ago."

Luna looked only mildly more surprised then usual, but happy none the less, she nodded her cork necklace making no sound as it moved, she gestured to the railing and Harry silently moved before tipping his head and looking down to the pitch below him, he raised his arm and concentrated before loosening his grip and letting the penny fly, he watched it for the few moments it was visible before disappearing into the dark and after waiting for a little while his ears straining he turned to Luna who was watching him interested, "How do I know if I hit the other penny or not?" he asked genuinely.

She smiled as if it was obvious, "You don't the whole point of the game is to try, not to succeed."

Harry frowned not comprehending, "But you could stand here forever dropping pennies never knowing if you'd already done what was expected.

Once again Luna smiled; she didn't seem the least bit frustrated by his question instead looking thoroughly interested in what he had to say, as if she was trying to see it from his perspective. "That's the purpose Harry, I'll tell you that its almost impossible to get the pennies to land in the same place from this height, but you still try and that's all you can do there's no definite way to make sure the penny lands where you want it to, but you'll never hit the other penny if you don't try to hit it."

Harry frowned at her, letting the words sink it, and as they did he found the knot in his stomach loosened like a shoe lace being untied, once again almost unaware that he was speaking he asked "Can I have anther go."

Luna beamed, "_Accio_," she whispered waving her wand.

--

Harry only became aware of the time when the moonlight disappeared from the hall and was replaced by a faint pinkish glow, he looked around in surprise, he must have been standing there for hours dropping and retrieving the penny's, Luna seemed perfectly aware that it was dawn but was unfazed and summoned her coin once more.

"How long have we been out here?" Harry questioned rhetorically.

Not moving her eyes from the drop of the railing, Luna replied, "Almost sunrise that's usually how long it takes for them to let me back in."

Confused by this Harry looked at her curiously and asked, " Who lets you back where?" it was only after the question left his mouth that he became aware that he had no idea why Luna Lovegood had been stuck in hall in the middle of the night, he searched around the fast lighting hall and noticed not far from them a large portrait of a stout wizard whose eyes were shut, his white beard puffing with every slow breath he let out, a small gold bar at the bottom declared this man to be 'Merlin The Magician.'

"The Ravenclaw prefects, they like changing the password and not telling me, I think they find it amusing." Luna said conversationally, not looking the least bit bothered even as she caught the coin that rose to her and turned back to face the hall.

Harrys shoulders seemed to twinge uncomfortably he felt again how he had at the end of his fifth year, pity. It seemed odd that the only person who didn't feel it in the slightest was the girl herself, Harry however frowned at her, almost concerned at how little it affected her, "You should tell Flitwick," Harry said watching her.

She smiled at him almost amused, "No need, the more time I spend out here the more chances I have of landing one penny on top of the other," completely surprising himself for the third time that night Harry smiled, Luna was a perfect metaphor just like her penny game, no matter how much harder people made her life she just kept coming up with ways to make it better.

It seemed almost reflective of Harrys predicament his task was almost as hard as landing one penny on top of the other, but that didn't mean he couldn't try, that didn't mean it wasn't possible.

"Thanks Luna," Harry said softly, anybody else would have asked 'thanks for what?' but Luna just smiled happily at him and strode over the sleeping wizard who had abruptly swung forward from the inside.

Harry watched her disappear inside the Ravenclaw common room before clutching at the penny warm from where he had been holding it for so long, he smiled to himself tossing it over the banister one more time before heading of in the direction the of the Gryffindor common room feeling an awfully lot better then he had when he left.

---

Upon rousing the annoyed fat lady to grant him entrance he expected the common room to be empty but was surprised to find Ginny sitting her back resting against the chair that she had once been sitting in, she looked up as he entered her hand pausing halfway through stroking the head of Arnold the pygmy puff who gave a look almost identical to a pout at the abrupt ending of his attention.

Ginny just watched him, waiting to say anything; he swallowed before walking over to her and asking quietly "I thought I said not to wait up."

Ginny smiled her shoulders relaxing as she recognized the familiar not of cheerfulness in Harrys voice--he was back to normal.

"Since when do I ever listen to you?" she asked jokingly.

Normally not one to bring up her crush on him Harry couldn't resist, " I seemed to recall you hanging on my every word once," he teased watching as her ears turned pink and her brown eyes narrowed dangerously, "That was before you became boring." She retorted.

Harry grinned feeling content once more.

---

A few hours later when the sun had fully risen and it was a descent hour Harry and his fellow Gryffindors trudged down the marble staircases on their way to breakfast. Hermione and Ron on either side of him, Harry paused as something glinted on the entrance hall floor, looking curious he walked over cutting of Ron and Hermione's bickering with his abrupt departure, they stopped to and followed him to where he stood staring down at two pennies lying there, one on top of another.

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End.

a/n- they don't use wizard money because if gallons are indeed the size of hubcaps that might attract to much attention.


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